By Marty Proctor
On February 4, the City of Mascotte held a well attended Fire Department workshop. The workshop consisted of a 40-minute presentation from Jeff Cole, Deputy County Manager; John Molenda, Direct Manager EMS; and James Dickerson, Fire Chief; all of Lake County. The presentation was followed by a concise summary by Mascotte City Manager Jim Gleason. Mr. Gleason covered the budget and cost comparison. Since this was a City workshop and not an agenda item on the Council agenda, there was no vote or public input.
The total personnel and operating costs for the city-managed fire station operating with an ISO rating of 4, was calculated at $1,879,987. The cost if the County managed the Mascotte Fire Station, providing an ISO rating of 4, was calculated at $565,618. This budgetary estimate shows the City stands to save $1,314,369. This produced a calculated tax and fire assessment savings of $119 per household. Mr. Gleason stated, “this is not about the quality of service or tax savings but about the ISO rating.” He added, “citizens walk-in or phone the City offices daily. They are complaining of insurance rate increases of $200-$1500 per year.” It is believed that many of these increases are due to the recent City ISO rating dropping to 10.
The County assured all present that the current and planned fire station would continue to be manned by the same firefighters. Upon qualification, the existing Mascotte firefighters would “become Lake County employees” Mr. Cole stated. “Integrating into the Lake County force keeping their rank and years of service. They would also become eligible for the lucrative FRS” (Florida Retirement System). He further added that the current station would remain where it is and would be staffed as it is now.
The City then completed a quiet Council meeting followed by the regular Public Comments item on the agenda. This part of all Council meetings is where any person wishing to address the Mayor and Council are allocated 5 minutes per speaker. The comments are expected to be about items and concerns not on the Council meeting agenda.
The meeting became anything but quiet. Many area residents requested to speak. Each was given their allocated time to express their concerns. The citizens offered a wide range of comments about the Fire Department. They ranged from tear-jerking, personal and emotional comments to well-researched facts alternate to those presented by the County and City. In between were appeals about history, families, and lives impacted by the Mascotte Fire Department.
The Council and Mayor have a very difficult decision in front of them. They have continued to pursue any and all options to prevent the added insurance cost for citizens or high tax costs to the City residents. One citizen stated that his existing homeowners’ insurance company was refusing to renew his policy and a local landlord stating he would be required to install a monitored fire and security system to be insured. The Council has hard decisions to make and staff will be challenged to continue to present options and facts.
The Mascotte Fire Department, the ISO rating and possible changes are creating a burning interest among Mascotte citizens.
Marty Proctor is a writer for the South Lake Tablet covering Groveland and the surrounding area. His primary interests are the local impact of city and county government, local growth management, tracking area charitable groups and sharing factual information. Marty is a long-time resident on Lake Emma north of Groveland doing public information consulting, social media marketing and freelance writing as well as fishing, bowling, and caring for wife Julie and dachshund Georgia.
